Nigerian militants say peace talks start with govt
* MEND says talks mark beginning of serious dialogue
* Increased funding for Niger Delta communities on table
* Oil theft increasing since amnesty
LAGOS, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The main militant group in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta said on Sunday it had started formal peace talks with President Umaru Yar'Adua, three weeks after reinstating a ceasefire in the region.
The Movement for the Niger Delta (MEND) said a team of representatives including Nobel Prize-winning writer Wole Soyinka and two retired senior military officers met Yar'Adua for more than two hours on Saturday.
"This meeting heralds the beginning of serious, meaningful dialogue between MEND and the Nigerian government to deal with and resolve root issues that have long been swept under the carpet," MEND said in an emailed statement.
Attacks claimed by the militant group have battered Africa's biggest energy industry over the past three years, preventing Nigeria from pumping much above two-thirds of its capacity and costing it around $1 billion a month in lost revenues. Continued...
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